These Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef Bowls are a perfect Chipotle copycat! The beef stays tender and flavourful with a natural pressure release.
Ingredients and substitutions
Barbacoa
- Olive oil ā substitute for any neutral cooking oil of your choice like canola oil.
- Stewing beef ā you use any type of beef you'd like, including steak thatās been chopped into pieces.
- Garlic ā freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Chipotle pepper ā try using chipotle powder instead.
- Adobo sauce ā you can try using minced pickled jalapeno with smoky BBQ sauce but the flavours will be different.
- Lime juice ā fresh or bottled lime juice can both be used.
- Soy sauce ā tamari or coconut aminos are the best substitutes for soy sauce.
- Vinegar ā use apple cider vinegar instead of regular vinegar or double up on the lime juice.
- Chili powder ā taco seasoning will also work in place of the spices.
- Cumin ā see substitution notes above.
- Onion powder ā garlic powder would also be good.
- Paprika ā use a pinch of cayenne instead.
- Beef broth ā vegetable broth can work but will have a different flavour.
- Salt & pepper ā to taste.
Bowls
- Fresh salsa ā fresh pico de gallo or jarred salsa can be used instead.
- Guacamole ā sliced avocados would be good in place of guacamole.
- Corn ā fresh, canned or grilled corn would all be yummy. Swap out for another veggie of your choice like bell peppers if you donāt like corn.
- Lettuce ā use iceberg or romaine lettuce or even some spinach.
- Cheese ā Monterey Jack is good on burrito bowls but cheddar or cojita cheese would be yummy too.
- Sour cream ā leave this out altogether if youāre not a fan of sour cream.
- Cilantro ā leave this off if you donāt like cilantro.
Rice
- Dry rice ā use any kind of rice of your choice like white rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice.
- Butter ā or a butter substitute to make the rice moist.
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How to make barbacoa beef
Step 1: Cook the barbacoa.
Add all ingredients for barbacoa to Instant Pot in order that they are listed. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal. Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 20 minutes. Do a natural pressure release, then open lid when pressure gauge has dropped and lid opens easily.
Step 2: Make the rice and prep toppings.
While waiting for the Instant Pot's pressure to release, make the rice in a rice cooker and assemble any toppings.
Step 3: Shred barbacoa.
When pressure has released, shred beef.
Step 4: Assemble your burrito bowls and dig in!
Serve the beef with rice and other desired toppings. Enjoy!
Are burrito bowls healthy?
When making any type of burrito bowl, it can be easy to go overboard with ingredients that are high in calories and fat. For healthier barbacoa chipotle beef burrito bowls, consider making some of these easy ingredient swaps:
- Choose leaner cuts of beef, like beef sirloin. For the best flavour of barbacoa beef, use a cut that has at least some fat. If you make it with a beef shoulder, trim away some of the excess fat.
- Use cheeses that are lower in fat.
- Swap out full-fat sour cream for a healthier choice. Light or non-fat sour cream or even yogurt will make the dish healthier.
- Make some cauliflower riceĀ to use in the barbacoa beef bowls. Making them with cauliflower rice instead of traditional rice will lower the calories and carbs in your burrito bowl.
Frequently Asked Questions
Authentic Mexican barbacoa beef is made from either the head of a cow or sometimes, chunks of goat meat. In the United States, some Mexican restaurants make barbacoa using beef cheeks rather than using the entire head of the cow. Neither the barbacoa Chipotle recipe or this barbacoa Instant Pot recipe use any part of a cow's head, though. Instead, Chipotle makes their barbacoa beef using a beef shoulder, and my recipe calls for stewing beef, which usually comes from cuts of beef chuck or round.
This Instant Pot barbacoa beef is so good. It has a slightly tangy taste with a hint of spice thanks to the chipotles. Itās super flavourful, especially since all the spices pressure cook together in the Instant Pot!
A barbacoa Chipotle bowl typically consists of white or brown rice, barbacoa beef, brown or black beans, and your choice of toppings including lettuce, cheese, sour cream and salsa. Since youāre making your barbacoa bowls at home, the options are pretty much endless when it comes to what toppings you want to add. Feel free to switch things up and add on whatever youāre craving.
Itās totally up to you! Chipotle typically serves their burrito bowls with hot beef and rice while the toppings like lettuce, cheese, and pico de gallo are all cold. You can reheat the barbacoa Instant Pot beef and rice or eat the whole thing cold ā itās all a matter of personal preference.
Storing and reheating
Store any leftovers of this barbacoa chipotle recipe in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend reheating the bowls without the toppings ā just reheat the rice and beef together and then add the toppings fresh from there. Sprinkle some water over top of the beef to prevent it from drying out then microwave for 1-2 minutes until heated through.
If you want to be able to pack barbacoa beef burrito bowls for meal prep lunches, place the beef and rice into small, microwaveable containers. When you're ready to eat, you just need to microwave the beef and rice for about 2 minutes, then add it into the container with your cold ingredients. Toss to combine and you'll be all set!
Can you freeze barbacoa beef?
Fortunately, this Instant Pot barbacoa beef freezes beautifully, making it the perfect choice for meal prep dinners like a beef burrito bowl!
Freeze the leftover beef and rice separately for up to 3 months. When youāre ready to enjoy, defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating just like you normally would.
There are a lot of ways to use leftover barbacoa beef too. Of course, you can use it to make traditional Mexican dishes like tacos, burritos and enchiladas. For something a little different, use your barbacoa beef to make loaded baked potatoes, a pot of soup, or add some of the beef to an omelet.
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More Mexican-inspired meal prep recipes
Meal Prep Tools
- Grab someĀ glass meal prep bowls if you plan to use the Instant Pot barbacoa beef in lunches for the week.
- Get some compostable takeout containers like the ones pictured in this post.
- I get all my grass-fed beef and free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Freeze and refrigerate leftovers in round glass microwave-safe bowlsĀ with lids.
- **Get my full list of tools here**
Instant Pot Barbacoa Bowls {Chipotle Copycat}
Ingredients
For barbacoa
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs stewing beef
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 chipotle pepper, minced
- 2 tbsp adobo sauce (from the can of chipotles)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 3/4 cup beef broth
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
For bowls
- Store-bought fresh salsa or pico de gallo
- Guacamole
- corn
- Lettuce
- Cheese
- sour cream
- cilantro
Rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup dry rice
- 1 tsp butter
Instructions
- Add all ingredients for barbacoa to Instant Pot in order that they are listed. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 20 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 10-20 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook the 20 minutes.
- Do a natural pressure release, then open lid when pressure gauge has dropped and lid opens easily (should take about 20 minutes).
- Meanwhile, make rice in a rice cooker and assemble ingredients for bowls.
- When pressure has released, shred beef and then serve with rice and other desired toppings. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Karen says
Has anyone made this with chicken breast? I will make with beef but just wanted to see if changing the meat would be another way of making this. Thanks
Taylor Stinson says
Chicken would taste great with this recipe too! Timing shouldn’t change either š
Shelly says
Yum, Yum, Yum!!! I was browsing Pinterest for Instant Pot recipes and came across this. Rushed out to the store for the ingredients, threw them in the pot, and am now rubbing my ridiculously full tummy!! I set it for 2 minutes, but let it sit for longer than 20 minutes afterwards (got busy). The meat was perfect. I do wish I had been ready with everything else at the 20 minute mark as the temperature would have been a touch hotter. In terms of spicy, I might add a second chipotle chile next time. We are a family that likes our nose running and our eyes watering. š
Thank you for a fab recipe!!
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed Shelly!!! This one is one of my faves…letting the meat sit would have let it become more tender. Next time you can always do a natural pressure release so you still get the benefit of letting the meat sit but it remains hot. In any case, so happy you liked it š
Tamara says
Made the same recipe in the instant pot before and it was amazing. I actually substituted with venison. Wondering if you would be able to use this recipe in the Crock-Pot?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Tamara – I’m sure you could! Try cooking it on low for 8 hours, that should work š
Elizabeth says
I made this today and it is Amazing!!!
Even my super picky daughter loved it..
Next time Iām doubling this!!
Thank you so much for creating this!!
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed Elizabeth!! š
Mike says
Does your calorie count at the end of the recipe include the bowls all put together (rice, cheese, sourcream) or is that just the barbacoa? Thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
Yes it does, toppings and rice included š
Julie says
what size IP was this done in? I have an 8 quart–trying it out for the first time tonight. Wondering if I should set it for 2 or 4 minutes?
Taylor Stinson says
I cooked it in a 6-qrt! You should be fine for the 2 minutes in an 8-qrt but could try 4 minutes in case!
Jen says
2 minutes on high pressure wasn’t enough to shred the meat. I cooked it for another 2 minutes and it was perfect. Next time I’ll do 4 min with 20 NR. Substituted cilantro riced cauliflower for the rice and added black beans on top the riced cauliflower. We will make this again.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m sorry you didn’t feel 2 minutes was enough Jen but glad another 2 minutes did it for you. Wondering if we have different sized Instant Pots. Glad you liked it!
Manju says
Hello, how would you prepare the Cauliflower rice as a substitute? Thank you!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Manju – you may have to google cauliflower rice recipes. As far as I’m aware you can just buy it already riced up in a bag and then saute for 5-10 minutes.
Lin says
Hi looking forward to trying this – looks fab! Just wondering if using beef cheeks should I adjust the cooking time?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Lin! I would assume beef cheeks would work here, I’m not sure about adjusting the cooking time. The beef will end up cooking for 30-40 minutes between the preheat time, pressure cook time and natural pressure release time so I assume it should be fine but you can always adjust to 5 minutes pressure cook time if you’re unsure! It will also depend on whether the meat is cut into chunks (it cooks faster this way so adjust accordingly for a large piece of meat not cut up)
Kim says
Is there a substitution for the chipotle pepper ?
Taylor Stinson says
You can just leave it out š The flavour will be slightly different, but it should still taste good!
Linda says
There is no way the beef will properly cook in 2 minutes at high pressure. Stew beef will take at least 30, probably 40 minutes. Has this recipe been tested?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Linda – Iāve made and tested this recipe a couple of times now. I can assure you that it does cook within the 2 minutes on high pressure. The beef is cut up into 1-inch chunks and the Instant Pot will take 10-20 minutes to come to pressure, as well as 20 minutes to naturally release pressure, and all during that time the beef is cooking.
Michelle says
Ah- I was wondering how it cooks so fast; didn’t see to chunk it up on recipe. I’m going to try this tonight!! Thank you āŗ